Background: Infants are at risk for tobacco-attributable diseases by being exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). International literature has shown that a home smoking ban can reduce ETS. The purpose of this study is to examine whether a brief feedback about urinary cotinine in infants and a counselling session about the consequences of ETS leads to a reduction of ETS.

All families with children up to an age of three years in the study region will be contacted by mail and asked for participation in this study. They will be randomised into an intervention and one control group. The intervention group will receive a ETS counselling session and detailed analysis of urinary cotinine (a biomarker of ETS) at their home. They will further receive written feedback approx. 2 weeks later. The control group will be visited and will answer a questionnaire and will receive brochures about ETS. They will receive a standard analysis feedback of urinary cotinine. There will be oine further assessment/ visit 12 months later. The outcome of this study is an anlysis of urinary cotinine and smoking behaviour and changes in cotinine and smoking behaviour.

expert system intervention on smoking behaviour + feedback of a biomarker

Behavioral: bio-chemical feedback and expert system intervention ETS

Urinary cotinien will be measured using urine collected from the infants diaper. It will be analysed and the result will be explained to the participant in a written letter approximately 2 weeks after the intervention.

The intervention will also be a counselling session about the consequences of ETS to the infant. The counselling will be guided by the principles of motivational intervieweing and an expert system letter tailored to the data assessed will be send to the participants

Other Names:

motivational interviewing

expert system intervention

tailored feedback

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

up to 3 Years

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

born in 2005, 2006 or 2007,

being exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home by at least one parent, living in the study region of west pommerania

Exclusion Criteria:

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00647413